U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin complete ARRW hypersonic boosted test flight

ARRW glide vehicle ©Lockheed Martin

The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin have successfully conducted a hypersonic-boosted flight test of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) from the service’s B-52H Stratofortress. The successful flight demonstrates the weapon’s ability to reach and withstand operational hypersonic speeds, collect crucial data for use in further flight tests and validate safe separation from the aircraft to deliver the glide body and warhead to designated targets from significant standoff distances. Additional booster and all-up-round test flights will continue throughout 2022, before reaching Early Operational Capability (EOC) in 2023. Hypersonic weapons provide a rapid response, time-critical capability to overcome distance Read more

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Air France-KLM and CMA CGM sign major long-term strategic partnership in global air cargo

Air France-KLM Group and the CMA CGM Group have signed a long-term strategic partnership in the air cargo market. This exclusive partnership will see both parties combine their complementary cargo networks, full-freighter capacity and dedicated services in order to build an even more competitive offer thanks to the unrivalled know-how and global footprint of Air France-KLM and CMA CGM. CMA CGM and Air France-KLM share a strong ambition to invest and grow sustainably in the air freight business. The agreement will have an initial duration of ten years. Air France-KLM and CMA CGM will join and exclusively operate the full-freighter Read more

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SIA Group posts second-half operating profit as travel demand returns

©Singapore Airlines

The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group carried 3.9 million passengers in FY2021/22, up six-fold from a year before, with international air travel recovering in the last six months as global border restrictions eased. The Group ramped up passenger capacity (measured in available seat-kilometres) in a calibrated manner, growing from 24% of pre-Covid levels in April 2021 to 51% by the end of FY2021/22 in March 2022. As a result, passenger flown revenue grew by SG$2,121 million (+309.6%) year-on-year to SG$2,806 million. This was on the back of a 614.9% growth in traffic (revenue-passenger kilometres), which outpaced the capacity expansion of 215.7% Read more

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AerCap reports financial results for the first-quarter 2022

AerCap Holdings has reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. The company posted a net loss for the first quarter, including net charges related to the Ukraine conflict, of US$2.0 billion. Net income for the first quarter was US$540 million after adjustments for net charges related to the Ukraine conflict and other items. AerCap executed 157 transactions in the first quarter of 2022, including 102 lease agreements, 25 purchases and 30 sales. First quarter cash flow from operating activities was US$1.3 billion, more than three-times higher than the first quarter of 2021. The company continued to Read more

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Ryanair opens first heavy maintenance facility at Shannon Airport

©Ryanair

Ryanair has opened its first aircraft heavy maintenance facility in Ireland at Shannon Airport on May 18, delivering an investment of €10 million (£8.5 million) and creating 200 high-skill jobs in the locality, including licensed engineers, mechanics and support staff. The state-of-the-art three-bay facility, leased from Shannon Group, (5,220 m2) will support the maintenance of Ryanair’s fleet as it grows to 600 aircraft by 2026. This investment resounds Ryanair’s commitment to the mid-west region and Ireland as a whole as it further drives post-pandemic recovery through connectivity, inbound tourism and employment. Ryanair has operated from Shannon Airport since 1986, opening Read more

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Wizz Air looks to create new ultra-low-cost subsidiary – Wizz Air Malta

Wizz Air ©AirTeamImages

Based on the signing of an ‘Arrangement on Reallocation of Responsibility’ signed between the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate (CAD), Wizz Air will now file an application for an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) with EASA and also an Operating License (OL) with CAD. Should both applications be successful, the new carrier, Wizz Air Malta will commence operations in October of this year with Malta-registered aircraft. Wizz Air Chief Executive Officer, József Váradi said: “We are pleased to announce our intention to establish a new airline subsidiary in Malta. Wizz Air is constantly evaluating Read more

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ATR unveils plans for hybrid version ATR ‘EVO’

©ATR EVO rendering

ATR, the regional aircraft manufacturer, has announced its plans for the next generation of its best-selling family of regional aircraft by 2030, the ATR ‘EVO’. The plan foresees advanced design features and a new powerplant with hybrid capability to offer customers the next generation of ATR aircraft. It will encompass innovative technologies to enable significant improvements in performance, economics and sustainability. Incorporating a new eco-design that includes new propellers and enhanced cabin and systems, it will remain a two-engine turboprop that can be powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). ATR CEO Stefano Bortoli said: “Our next generation of aircraft Read more

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Safran rolls out XATIS software

Safran Engineering Services has rolled out “XATIS”, its complex system design optimisation software. The software is tailored to assist systems architects in reducing the number of product development cycles, thanks to Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE). XATIS is a software tool for modelling complex integrated systems, from the requirements gathering phase, through the specification stage and right up to the preliminary design. It is based on the CESAM modelling methodology, the aim of which is to manage complexity through graphic representations of the system from multiple complementary perspectives, in order to expand upon its conventional textual description.  XATIS is used for Read more

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Gulfstream Aerospace to expand St. Louis completions operation

©Gulfstream St. Louis

Gulfstream Aerospace will expand completions operations at its St. Louis Downtown Airport facility. The expansion will increase production of custom cabinetry and exterior paint capacity for Gulfstream’s in-demand large-cabin aircraft. To support this expansion, Gulfstream St. Louis will grow its workforce in the areas of cabinet makers and finishers, upholsterers, aircraft paint technicians, manufacturing engineers, operations engineers, certification inspectors and additional support functions. The Gulfstream St. Louis Service Center opened in 2017 as a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility and comprises 11 hangars and more than 637,457 ft² (59,222 m²) of shop and support space. Located at the St. Louis Read more

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StandardAero acquires EB Airfoils to continue expansion of component repair capabilities

StandardAero has signed an agreement to acquire EB Airfoils, a leading fan blade, compressor blade and vane MRO provider for the aero-engine and aero-engine derivative markets.  EB Airfoils is a privately held company operating from two facilities located in Palm City, Florida.  With nearly 20,000 square feet of operations and approximately 50 employees, EB Airfoils’ unique capabilities and unequalled expertise, have enabled the company to become one of very few organisations in the world to be granted OEM source approval or source demonstration for the repair and overhaul of fan blades, compressor blades and vanes on leading aero-engine and aero-engine Read more

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